Haruki Murakami
130pp
The origin of the man they call Rat, Murakami's Hear the Wine Sing, is the oft praised author's very first novel. The writer himself has called it a lesser work, and the one that he avoided having reprinted for quite a long time.
A long review of this work is probably simply uncalled for, as it is easy to see a talent grasping at learning a craft, and not yet ready to be successful. There are a few inklings of things to come, with Murakami's vague oddities, characters and places seeming to represent things much beyond the surface image. However, the arguable depth that many feel is at work in later novels is not here. I write this review, and read this book, for the reasons that anyone else might be advised to do so, because I/we are completists. To be honest, I had read over a summary of the novel to jog my memory, as the few months since I read the work have allowed it to seep from my memory. This is certainly not true of much of Murakami's later work.
So, I would conclude that this book is only recommendable to those who feel the need to check it off a list. Thought I often debate myself and others about the level of importance Murakami deserves as an artist, this book should not be included in that sort of discussion, as it is Murakami's more enjoyable books that allow for a really interesting debate over whether they are good, great, brilliant, or just psychological mind screws without more value... I have not made up my mind fully on that yet, but look forward to trying to decide. Many more Murakami reviews to come.
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